Egg-crate



J. WEST.

' EGG CRATE.

(No Model.)

Patented Feb. 6,1894.-

1 UNITED STATES PATENT Enron.

JAMES WEST, OF AKEN, TEXAS.

EGG-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 514,051, dated February 6, 1894.

Application filed June 19, 1893. Serial No. 478.118. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES WEST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aken, in the county of Shelby and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Crates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable'others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to crates for transporting eggs and has for its object to provide an improved crate formed of hinged sections, the middle section being composed of a solid block with cavities top and bottom corresponding with cavities formed in the lower and the top surface respectively of the upper and the lower portions which fit on opposite sides of the middle solid portion, the said three portions or sections being hinged together and provided with a suitable fastening such as described hereinafter for securing the sections together.

It has furthermore fori ts object to provide an improved cushioning material which possesses strength and softness of fiber adapted to be applied to afford the greatest protection to the eggs inclosed within the crate.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter particularly'described and then sought to be specifically defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof in which Figure 1 is'a perspective of the crate in its locked condition ready for transportation. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the crate. Fig. 3 is an end view of the crate showing the sections in an open position. Fig. 4 is a perspective of a portion of two of the sections showing the cushioning material applied thereto with corners thereof raised the better to illustrate the same; and Fig. 5 is a transverse section through one of the sections of the crate also showing the improved cushioning material with one edge raised and the two parts of the fabric separated the better to illustrate the same.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the central section of the crate which is formed preferably of a solid block of wood having bored or otherwise formed 1n ts upper and also in its lower surface, CaVItlGS 2 so as to leave an intermediate solid port1on'3 between the cavities formed upon the top of the section and the cavities formed on the bottom thereof. To one edge of the upper portion of the middle section there is hinged a section 4 adapted to lie across the top of the middle section and formed on its under 6 surface with a series of cavities 5 designed to fit over the cavities 2 formed in the top surface of the middle section. To one edge of the lower portion of the middle section 1 there is hinged a third section 6 adapted to lie the cavities of the middle section and after that the middle section be folded back and the eggs taken from the cavities in the bottom section of the crate.

This crate is bound by metallic strips or bands 8 which extend across the outer face of the top and bottom section and brace the same. To these metallic strips 8 there are hinged by any suitable connection metallic strips 9 adapted to be folded across one side of the three sections so as to lap one strap upon the other as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the said hinged straps being provided with elongated slots 10 for the passage therethrough of eyes or staples 11 projecting from the front face of the middle section 1;

These eyes or staples 11 are designed to receive slidable fastenings 12, each composed of a metallic loop adapted'at theirlarger ends to fit around a pin or staple 13 projecting from the face of the middle section which will [00 serve as a guide for said fastenings and also serve to hold the same in position. The

These sections formed and hinged 75 smaller ends of the fastenings are adapted to pass through the eyes or staples 11 as indicated in Fig.1 so as to secure the hinged straps 9 and thus securely lock the crate for transportation. The fastenings 12 are each provided with a pin 14 designed to be grasped by the hand so as to slide the fastenings back and forth in unlocking and locking the crate.

In order to protect the eggs against breakage or injury while being transported, I have devised an improved material whichfpossesses not only the qualities of softness possessed by cotton batting but also possesses the quality of strength which is imparted by means of a cotton or cloth fabric. This cushioning material as intimated is composed of a layer of cotton batting 15 of suitable thickness across the surface of which is laid a textile fabric 16 so that while I will get the softness of cotton batting I will also get the strength of a textile fabric. This cushioning fabric formed as described is laid across the faces of the cavities and a portion thereof is pressed into each cavity so as to form a support for the eggs placed in the cavities and a bearing surface on the other side where the eggs pro ect into the upper cavities. The fabric formed and applied as described not only atfords a most efiectual cushioning for the eggs on all sides of their surfaces but also possesses the quality of yielding to a greater or less extent to pressure exerted thereon so that the fabric will lie at some distance from the walls of the cavities as indicated in the portion of the lowersection of the bottom of the crate, yet when the eggs are placed in the cavities this fabric will yield both at the bottom and top to the pressure of the eggs and thus serve to exert a yielding pressure on all surfaces of the eggs and in that way more securely and firmly hold the same in place while at the same time protecting the sides against any shocks or jars that would tend to crack the shells of the eggs.

This crate can be made at comparatively little cost and is not only simple in construction but strong and durable and can be used many times. It will also be observed from the construction described that there is formed a solid wall or filling between the top and bottom layers of the eggs, said filling being a portion however of the central section of the crate which receives a portion of each of the eggs top and bottom.

I have described what I consider to be the best construction of the details of the several parts illustrated but it is obvious that variations may be made in some of the details without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim is- 1. The egg crate composed of a series of sections hinged together to form leaves adapted to fold one upon the other, the middle section being formed of a single piece with cavities in its upper and lower surfaces, and the top and bottom sections having cavities in their lower and upper surfaces respectively to register with the cavities in the top and bottom surfaces of the middle section, a cushioning materiallying across said cavities so as normally to leave a space between it and the walls of the cavities whereby when the eggs are placed in the cavities the cushioning material will be distended and exert a yielding or elastic pressure upon the eggs, and means for fastening the sections together, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination of the egg crate composed of a series of hinged sections and having cavities for the reception of the eggs, hinged clasps attached to both of the outer sections and formed with slots adapted to register and to receive staples projecting from one of the sections of the crate, and fastenings composed of slidable looped pieces fitting over a pin at their larger ends and provided with projecting fingers for sliding the sections back and forth, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The egg crate formed with a series of cavities for the reception of eggs provided with a cushioning material composed of a layer of cotton batting covered by a protecting layer of textile fabric, the two layers lying face to face and extended in a continuous piece across the egg cavities to form a soft elastic cushioning to the cavities and whereby the cotton batting is prevented from matting, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES WEST.

Witnesses:

H. F. DUNSON, H. V. FALL. 

